Bergenfield, NJ Rental Property Rules: Rent Increase Notice (2026)

Section 240-5B of the Rent Control chapter requires a landlord seeking a rent increase to notify the tenant, by certified mail, of the calculations behind the increase: the current rent, the allowable percentage increase (capped at 4% under § 240-5A), and the resulting allowable rental increase in dollars. The same subsection requires the landlord to submit an updated monthly report to the Rent Leveling Board, under § 240-7, no later than 20 days after the increase takes effect. If the Rent Leveling Board determines the increase violates the chapter, it must notify both the landlord and the tenant in writing and set a hearing date; critically, the disputed portion of the increase is frozen from the moment that notice issues and stays frozen until the hearing concludes, so a tenant is never forced to pay a contested increase while the dispute is pending.

Surcharge notices carry their own, stricter timeline: a landlord seeking a hardship, major-capital-improvement or tax surcharge under § 240-6 must notify each affected tenant by certified mail at least 14 business days before the Board hearing, attach a complete copy of the surcharge application, and supply the Board with a notice log documenting when each tenant received notice, at least five business days before the Board considers the application.